The Garden of St. Joseph

The nuns have left the school
Their convent is now the headmaster's office
Without them I suppose
The garden wasn't needed
That paving it seemed efficient.
It is troubling though,
More than the statue's removal
Or loss of thriving birds and flowers,
The absence of holiness

In the evening light
Stone benches warmed by afternoon sun
No longer invite reflection
Sounds of devotions and song
Never drift to the circle of the garden.
As children, we rested securely
Within the ring of myrtles
Emptying our collection of dolls
Delighted to trade outfits and create adventures__

Stretch upon the blades of grass
Cushioned rich and thick beneath you
Listen for wind in neighboring oaks
Birds calling through the scent of honeysuckle
Shade eyes and observe St. Joseph
In white paper blossoms, enfolded
Consider his strength of family,
Faithful trust that kept them safe

Where is holiness among asphalt?
In bright signs on city blocks exclaiming:
"Give Me Jesus"?
In Gospel CDs on TV advertising:
"Limited Time Only"?
Do we believe God exists
That he moves among us?

A garden is no different than any other ground
Plants no different than their sisters
But hearts can declare more__
As children it made perfect sense
To play dolls right there
Where God was

by J. Elliott Jackson - originally published in the chapbook, WALK INTO A MOMENT

Riding the Train with Stevie Wonder

Last evening I rode a train into the heart of a city with men and women of many races and life experiences. We carried memories of music that had touched moments in our lives in such a way to make us set out on a journey to share a few hours with the artist, Stevie Wonder.

Our heritage is rich - full of pain and misunderstanding but at the same time full of hope, an unabashed belief in love, goodness and the sanctity of life. We may have gathered in a sports arena, but throughout the evening music was our single voice to express together disappointment, gratitude, loss, joy and a purpose to strive for light and peace.

I share these words by Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder's performance. They rode the train within us, back out of the city and into our individual lives.

"People get ready, there's a train a-comin' . . .
Don't need no baggage, you just get on board . . .
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner,
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own . . .
So people get ready, there's a train a-comin' . . .
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord"

Deadly Sin, the Golden Circle and Open Hands

Tonight I played guitar for a domestic violence vigil while 17 names were read and candles lit for those in recent years that did not survive.  This week I read lessons from a deadly sins series for a church class. Yesterday I viewed a Ted Talk by Simon Sinek at work. Now I type the word "violence" and recognize its root, violet, and the traditional paring of purple with rage and its sinful manifestations.

 I cannot help but reflect on the number of persons who spend hours inside church buildings – I wonder if they also spend hours outside among those experiencing daily anguish to offer a bit of kindness and peace.

 I am thankful for the ecumenical group that is Open Hands who lives out the creed of more grace, less judgement building relationships so that a “song can rise from the ashes of a broken life,” 

I close with this talk of the Golden Circle because clearly the "why" and "belief" for Open Hands is firmly apparent, and my hope is that their service and support continues to grow.

Like Narnia

"It's a whole different world up here . . . it's like Narnia!"

Words spoken by a fifth grader who had just 

sung the National Anthem with his school choir for a minor league baseball game, 

climbed two tiers of bleachers to sit among friends,

glanced out between guard rails, not at the game, but across the streets and buildings of his city.

Seeing the world from a different perspective - 

so much grander than it ever was before.

"A Little Bit of Love and Joy"

Man has invented many things through the centuries to improve (or detract from) life. Countries succumb to power and war. But life, apart from man-caused changes sustains.

Nature – tree, flower, mountain, sun, star, wind

Remains the same

Emotion – love, sorrow, joy, hate, fear, hope

Remains the same

Man’s purpose remains the same

In the spring of the year, in the forest by the creek

I was listening to Queen, the epic story songs.

Freddie Mercury’s “March of the Black Queen” tells of evil leading man down the evil path then punishing him for being evil. Evil flourishes till a presence emerges. The presence very simply and quietly reminds man that good is present, not to forget the good within:

"A voice from behind me reminds me

Spread out your wings you are an angel

Remember to deliver with the speed of light

A little bit of love and joy

Everything you do bears a will and a why and a wherefore

A little bit of love and joy

In each and every soul lies a man very soon he’ll deceive and discover

But even till the end of his life, he’ll bring a little love"

That everything has a will (purpose) and a why (plan) and a wherefore (place).

Even evil and good

And that evil, though crushing, cannot exist over, instead of, or without good.

And that good’s purpose, man’s purpose, is to spread love and joy.

Of course the setting of the song is make-believe, and in that fantasy world the Queen is sovereign and continues to stir strife. But in our own world, humanity is free to follow through spreading love and joy.

Destiny and a bit of Jonny Lang

Watch your thoughts, they become your words

Watch your words, they become your actions

Watch your actions, they become your habits

Watch your habits, they become your character

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

     Truthful words a friend shared with me some years ago. A bit disconcerting to think how our destiny might be shaped while we are living life unawares. I remember an accompanying discussion with friends over exact meanings of the word and usage of destiny. However, though I think the progression of these phrases is true, I prefer the message in this song I heard again today while driving through the mountains: Jonny Lang's "Turn Around."

God’s Top Ten List

1. Quit Worrying – Yes, life is hard, but you spend too much time and energy worrying. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all of your burdens and to carry them for you?

2. Put It on the List – When something is troubling you, put it on MY to-do list. Talk to me about it. I can’t help until you turn it over to me.

3. Trust Me – Once you have given me your burdens, quit trying to take them back. Trust that I will take care of all your needs. The problems with the kids, the grandkids, finances, your spouse, work and church. I already know about them. Put them on my list, I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. Leave It Alone – Don’t wake up one morning and think, “I’m feeling stronger now, I can handle things from here, God.” Why do you think you’re feeling stronger? It’s simple. You gave me your burdens and I’m taking care of them, Leave them with me and let me do my job.

5. Talk to Me – There are a lot of things I want you to forget. Forget what is making you crazy; forget the worry and the fretting because you know that I am in control. But please don’t forget to talk with me. . .often! I love you; I want to hear your voice.

6. Have Faith – I see a lot of things up here that you can’t see from where you are. Trust me; you don’t want the view from my eyes. Have faith in my love for you; I have your best interest in mind.

7. Share – You were taught to share when you were little, when did you forget? The rule still applies. Share your stuff, share your joy, share your laughter, share your tears and share your faith.

8. Be Patient – I have managed to fix it so that in just one lifetime you could do a lot of things. You get to grow up, maybe have children, change jobs, learn a trade, travel to many places, meet many people and experience so much. How can you be so impatient when it takes me a little longer than you expect for me to handle things. Trust my timing; it’s perfect.

9. Be Kind – Be sure to be kind to others, for I love them as much as I do you. They may not dress like you, talk like you or live like you, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for my sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all the same. I love your differences.

10. Love Yourself – As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only: to be loved and to love in return. I am a God of love, so love me, love others and don’t forget to love yourself in the process. You are very precious to me, don’t ever forget that.

Anonymous

"My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts"

We try to mold God into what we want or think he should be. We think about how things are going in our lives or on the earth and say, "well, if I was him I wouldn't do it that way." When we project our view onto God, we then worship a god of our making; it is idolatry.

This is what God has to say in Isaiah 55:8-9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

We know God is a God of love and of judgment.

We want someone to come and "clean the clock" of the people who hate and do such evil things on the earth. We want God to come and "take them out" "zap them with a lightening bolt" if it takes it.

God loves us so much that he cannot stand for us and the world to be this way, but this is his response. Isaiah 42: 1-4

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching."

God comes without fanfare, without calling attention to heal in gentleness as a gardener who will not "break" the "bruised reed," or a lamp lighter who will not "quench" a "dimly burning wick."

I heard Dr. Thomas Long share thoughts on these passages from Isaiah some years ago. He was preaching before leaving my town to teach his class at Emory in Atlanta the next day. I want to give credit to him for these ideas as they relate to the Bible passages.

Rise

Throwback to Godspell - By My Side

8. By My Side

"Then one of the Twelve - the one called Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests and asked,'What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?' So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over."
                              Matthew 26:14-16
     This does not conclude the list of songs on the Godspell movie soundtrack, but it is the last of the songs I had written out scripture notes for when I was young. I am following up in this same post with a song from contemporary times by Tenth Avenue North called "By Your Side." Its message expresses the purpose for the story told in the songs of Godspell. And so, though I have linked to it before, it finds a good home here at the end of this series.

Throwback to Godspell - Alas For You

7. Alas For You

"'Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.'"
                              Matthew 23:13-15

Throwback to Godspell - Light of the World

6. Light of the World

"'You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.'"
                              Matthew 5:13-16

Godspell Duets

     My sister and I sang "Day By Day" and "All Good Gifts" at church before we were in high school. I played the guitar as we sang. That was probably the last time I sang for people without feeling nervous. The church was small then, meeting in the fellowship hall; a sanctuary hadn’t been built yet. It wasn’t unusual at that time to use guitars in church, but it was significant that the leaders of the church recognized the importance of those songs to us even though they had come from a musical. They encouraged and supported us. My sister is now a minister, and I am part of a praise band. I wonder if we adequately support the young people of our churches as they try to express their own spiritual development?
     Just adding a small edit here to say that although Day By Day was a song everyone was using for both religious and secular purposes at the time, I realized while working my way through the soundtrack that "By Your Side" was the song my sister and I sang along with "All Good Gifts." We were able to add the harmony - and I remember as we worked on it, how hauntingly melancholy the music was.

All Good Gifts

Throwback to Godspell - All Good Gifts

5. All Good Gifts

"The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all;
He has compassion on all he has made.
All your works praise you, Lord;
Your faithful people extol you."
                              Psalm 145:8-10

Throwback to Godspell - All for the Best

4. All for the Best

     Unfortunately with the events of 911 there is an unsettling irony between the title of the song and the performance location. It deserves a full discussion at a later time, but for now, the message behind the verses in Matthew for this song, can speak to any circumstance.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?"(6:25)
"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."(6:34)

Throwback to Godspell - Playing Day By Day

     An eighth grade retreat during school hours for the day off campus. I took my guitar. Some Bible study, lots of discussion led by a young priest who told great stories. Informal meeting room, everyone gathered in a close circle. I knew we’d be singing soon, had my guitar ready. Several of us played. We decided to do “Day By Day” together. My guitar teacher had taught me a great accompaniment. I prayed for nerves to be calmed and to do my best.  Our class sang together everyone knew the words; it went well. We studied scripture and prayed together. I felt God with me, his Spirit had held me close during the singing. My heart was warm.

Throwback to Godspell - Day By Day

3. Day By Day

Throwback to Godspell - God Save the People

     Last evening I grabbed my old Bible and remembered I've had this index card tucked in the pages since I was a kid:

     Before we had Internet and phones to pull up any video or song, we had movies and soundtracks. I got the album for Godspell and the piano/guitar music and listened and played and practiced and sang. I decided to figure out what verses the songs had come from. I knew the script followed the Gospel of Matthew. It didn't take too long to write out the songs and scripture in which they were rooted. This was my first independent Bible study.

2. God Save the People

Matthew 1:21

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 
Jesus was Greek for Joshua which means - the Lord saves.

     

Throwback to Godspell - Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord

This begins a new series - just where did the themes of  those early 70s songs come from that helped narrate the story in Godspell.

1. Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord 

Matthew 3:1-3

"In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

     'A voice of one calling in the wilderness. Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

"Substance" a poem by J. Elliott Jackson

Substance 

Help me to find a path that remains 

In the sieve of truth

To recognize a glimpse

Of the reality that transcends

Meaning in this world

A light to emerge constant

Among variables changing  

While ideas and desires

Flow by swirling

A tree rooted deep

Absolute

I kneel at water’s edge

Upon moss covered banks

To study sunbeams

Penetrating

Deep into the pool

Reflecting

Leaf and branches

Flickering

Upon the surface in the gentle breeze

They mirror upward and spread

Across the underside of leafy canopy

I walk into the water

Small rocks below the surface

Almost make dry passage

Through the center

The stream’s pool is clean

It ripples where insect

Glides against the peaceful current

Before resting briefly

By the still of opened hickory nut

Suspended in sand and water

I continue searching

Past gray rock that will not weather

Beyond sandbanks as they curve

Downstream water pulses

But is not rushing, is not deep

A sycamore rises

Laid bare and bending

The roots compress water until

It springs forth from spread of fern

A hallowed place

I stoop to examine bubbling water

Through the deepest fold of tree root

I touch fingers to cool water,

To my face, running down

I look upon the stretch of tree

And from the upper branches

A light begins to radiate

It rose as truth deeply rooted

Atop the tree shining constant

With absolute immensity

How is one to be in your presence?

To look upon you

Who fills gaps equal to every part

Of me that is missing

Who doesn’t need me to tell

What has happened

Because you were there

So I could, if I would

Look to you

And then,

Know you are here for me

It matters not

What has come before

You do not look at me

To hold me up to years

Of interpretations or actions

You are in this moment

For only me

My mirror dance,

The Tie-that-binds

There is substance in being guided

Help me to see illumination

We seek the tie that connects

The circle that enfolds and protects

Sometimes we fall, but others

Are there to catch and receive

We walk together      

Moving ahead in rhythm

There’s always someone

To feel the tug, the pull,

The advanced warning

Of another’s immanent stumble

Why when we sense this

Do we not rush to intercept the person

Before trouble, before the slip?

For what one does affects another

For the circle to be healthy,

Whole, complete

All who are bound in it

Must continue moving ahead

Participating

So there’s no dead-weight

No counter measure,

No pulling conflict

We can sense what’s happening to those around us

Why not offer to

Heal, hear, and assist them?

We are moving the same direction

To the same meaning and purpose

It would not hinder our goal or destination

The trip effort would be easier

Let us not pull against the circle

Let us not pull its shape out of form

To let you handle decisions and plans

To work to your purpose

The Tie-that-binds

There is substance to being guided

                                J.Elliott Jackson

10 Great Things About Amos

From the Book of Amos, the small collection of mostly verse from Old Testament prophet, Amos, written 700+ years BC.

1. For 7 stanzas all the bad things the people of Israel had done are listed closing with the Lord saying “I will not revoke the punishment.” Here’s a bit of what’s been going on. . . . “they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes"—they "trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth,” “they store up violence and robbery.” Yet, all the Lord says for them to do to make up for it and spare themselves is to “Seek me and live.” 

2. The famous line I’ve heard in many a movie in various forms appears “prepare to meet your God.”

3. And one of my favorite and strengthening quotes: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.”

4. A slap on the wrist for hypocritical pious church goers as well as those in Amos’ time:  “I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.”

5. Three very simple but so important rules for living: seek good, not evil, and establish justice.

6. In the middle of all the listing of evil things people do and God’s listing of punishments, he says, “he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time.” This makes me think of a helpful warning that there are times when it is not in your best interest to confront evil head-on.

7. After pages and pages of God saying how he will smite the people of Israel, Amos begs God to forgive and we read, “The Lord repented concerning this; ‘It shall not be,’ said the Lord.” This is a major turning point in the Old Testament. The wrathful vengeful God is reconsidering! It shows how cool man’s relationship can be with God that they can have such a give and take interaction.

8. There is a whole section of playful irony where it’s like God says, OK man since you can’t figure the “seek me” thing out, let me show you how seeking is done my way. (paraphrasing ahead) Speaking of Israel God says:

      though they dig into Sheol, my hand will take them

      though they climb up to heaven, from there I’ll bring them down

      though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, I’ll    command the serpent to bite them

9. Several lines list how mighty God is  -- he touches earth and it melts, builds his chambers in the heavens, and calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the earth. And then, juxtaposed with God’s power is mercy in his statement: “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground; except that I will not utterly destroy. . .”

10.       And the book ends with a peaceful description of how God will restore –  mountains will drop sweet wine, the hills flow with it, ruined cities will be rebuilt, and man will plant and garden.

"Forever Is the Space Between Your Every Breath"

Today marks 12 anniversaries my Mom hasn't celebrated since her death in 2003. I've always thought of this as her song: "B-13" by Jump Little Children.


A year later JLC released the Album, Between the Dim and the Dark with this song, "Midnight." I was able to hear them perform it acoustically in a local record shop. Evan Bivens the drummer for the group wrote both of these songs.
 

While listening many times over I wrote the poem, "On the Porch"

On The Porch

Remember when we sat on the porch
Faced with mortality
A future of uncertainty?

We agreed your spirit would still be here
That you would not be lost to oblivion
That you would still watch over me
Have talks with me
Share your writing
Your laugh
Your love with me

It wasn't a promise
Just an understanding
Of how things would be

Sit on the porch
Let the world continue
Its planned responsibilities
We have chosen something different
Of our own
Time
Activity
And purpose

                       J. Elliott Jackson

The Sun Rises, The Sun Sets

What Is Truth - Revelation (No More Tears)

"Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:3-4)

     One of the most cited reasons people say they cannot believe in God is the fact that there is so much pain and suffering in the world. The reasoning you've likely heard; it goes like this - If God could end evil and suffering, but does not, how can he be benevolent? If God cannot end evil and suffering, how could he be sovereign and worthy of worship and praise?

But there is a reasonable answer to this objection-

     Whatever his purpose is for not immediately putting an end to evil and suffering, it cannot be because he does not care. Christ himself suffered the pain of death from crucifixion. He also experienced a spiritual separation from God as he took upon himself all the guilt and shame and debt that we possessed for things in life for which we needed a "do-over."

     I opened this discussion of "What Is Truth" with a statement my colleague made -  that it was okay that I believed in God if it helped me make sense of the world. I have thought about this for years because it made it seem like if I needed to fool myself and not accept reality, then I could grasp at make-believe as an "opiate" which is how Karl Marx referred to religion.

I need God, not to make sense of the world, but because I am his child.

What is Truth - Revelation (Eyes & Scrolls & the Holy Spirit)

     Last evening I posted the song, "Ezekiel Saw de Wheel" - a wonderful choral arrangement by Moses Hogan. I love where the lyrics of the song comment on the two wheels-

"The little one run by faith, oh yeah"

"And the big one run by the grace of God"

     As I think about faith and grace and listen to movement in the song and see the image of a wheel within a wheel turning, it describes for me how belief works. A small thought of faith gets the wheel turning, then God's grace keeps the momentum spinning. The cycle continues -

     At the time, I hadn't remembered the connections of the Book of Ezekiel to the Book of Revelation. Along with the wheel the prophet Ezekiel sees a beast with four heads. Dr. Efird in Revelation for Today tells us that in those days the created order was thought to be in four categories: wild beasts, domesticated animals, human beings and birds. In Revelation there are four beasts, one from each category. Using one head or a creature from each category points to God's majesty and that his "sovereignty is supreme" over the created order.
     There are other interesting comparisons including eyes and scrolls. In Ezekiel there are eyes all along the wheel. In Revelation there are eyes in front and in back of the creatures. Eyes symbolize wisdom. Ezekiel is told to "eat" the scroll; symbolically, he can then deliver God's message or words to the people. In Revelation there is a bit of a crisis where no one can be found worthy to open the scroll. Until . . .

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth."(Revelation 5:6)

     The horns symbolize power, the number seven means complete. The Lamb as if slain is of course, Jesus. In this passage Jesus with complete power has complete wisdom or the complete spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. The passage tells us that God sent out the Holy Spirit into all the earth. Amen

Wheel-a-Turnin

What Is Truth - Revelation (Water)

 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

 “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

 “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb . . . “ 

 “ . . . Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

Genesis 1:2, John 4:14, Revelation 22:1, Revelation 22:17

What Is Truth - "Help Me to Get Through It"

This is a song of such honesty and hope - Shovels and Rope perform "After the Storm."

What Is Truth - Revelation (Do-Overs)

     Childhood is a time for enjoying games, and whether they are sports or video, we all have at one time or another cried out for a "do-over." We didn't reach the goal when we had the ball, if we could just try that again, if we just had one more go at it, surely we'd score big. And life in general is no different.
     But on a much larger scale, I see in my Bible the heading: Peter Disowns Jesus where he says in answer to accusations of being a follower of Jesus, "Woman, I don't know him." "Man, I am not [one of them]! "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!"
     Wow! Peter had just spent most every day for several years working alongside Jesus, working, listening, learning, healing, praying and laughing together. They were friends. Jesus gets caught by the officials, and Peter acts like he never met him. What kind of friend is that? How would I feel if one of my friends did me that way?
     After Jesus' death and resurrection, Peter returned with other friends to Galilee by boat and Jesus appeared on the shore. When Peter saw him he jumped out of the boat and rushed to greet his Lord. They cooked up some fish for breakfast and after eating Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? - Feed my lambs . . . Simon son of John, do you love me? - Take care of my sheep. . . Simon son of John, do you love me? - Feed my sheep.
     Peter's feelings were hurt because to each question he told Jesus that he loved him. Three times he told him that he loved him. This exchange was Peter's "do-over." Jesus gave Peter the chance to announce his love when he had so cowardly rejected him earlier claiming in effect that he had never seen the man in is life.

     The whole point of the Gospels, their good news, is that with Jesus, if no where else in life, we have a do-over. And in Revelation God is giving mankind another go at it, this time with regained access to the garden. Rejecting God, eating the "forbidden fruit" is forgiven when like Peter we say, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you," - we become fruit on the Tree of Life.

What Is Truth - Revelation (Tree of Life)

In Genesis 2:8-9 God planted a garden with every tree that is “pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden.” 

     There has not been as much discussion over the years about the tree of life as there has the forbidden tree from which Adam and Eve ate the fruit. But we learn from 3:24 that once the couple disobeyed, God drove man out of the garden and placed  “cherubim, and a flaming sword . . . to guard the way to the tree of life." 

     We see the tree of life again in Revelation 22:2 where an angel shows the author the holy city and the tree of life with “its twelve kinds of fruit.” If we use our knowledge of the symbolic meaning of numbers in apocalyptic writing, we note that twelve means the people of God. 

How do we become God's people?

     Between these two examples, we find in the Gospel of John Chapter 15 a vine bearing fruit. Jesus says, “I am the true vine.” He continues, “Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 

      We have the cherubim placed in the garden with a sword to "guard the way to the tree of life."  In Revelation we find the image of a sword again.  “. . . and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword”(1:16) and "coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations"(19:15). Traditionally the image of a sword coming out of the mouth expresses combating lies with words of truth. Verse 13 of chapter 19 tells us that the figure with the sword is the Word of God. 

     Jesus is identified in the Book of John as the Word: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth"(1:14) And he tells his followers, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me"(14:6) 

     We are reminded in the final chapter of Revelation that "on each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops(kinds) of fruit . . . And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

    

What is Truth - Revelation ("Brain Salad Surgery")

The album this song, Jerusalem, comes from is Brain Salad Surgery by Emerson Lake and Palmer. The lyrics of the song are by poet, William Blake.

     Of note for this continuing discussion of the book of Revelation is the line in the second verse, "I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand." The sword in the hand of a poet is his pen used to write words in this case for the purpose of ending injustice. Tomorrow, I will compare the sword guarding the Tree of Life in Genesis with the double-edged sword coming from the mouth of a figure in Revelation.

What Is Truth - Revelation (by the numbers)

     Apocalypse means revelation in Greek. Dr. Efird in his book, Revelation For Today,  highlights the meanings for standard symbols and images in Hebrew and Christian apocalyptic writing.

Significant numbers (or their multiples):

3 = “the realm of the spirit”

4 = “that which is related to the created order”

7 = “completeness in the sense of that which has come to maturity or appropriate fulfillment”

10 = “similar to 7, but . . . usually suggests the idea of completeness with the nuance of inclusiveness”

12 = "the people of God"

3 ½ = “always used to symbolize the length of time that evil is allowed to run its course, persecuting the people of God”

     Efird also makes note that the numbers can be combined to symbolize a larger point – he gives this example: 144,000 = “a combination of a multiple of ten and a multiple of twelve, thus signifying the full or total number of the people of God.”

Significant colors:

White = victory “over the powers and forces of evil"

Red = war or conflict

Black = lack of something “the lack of food in famine, or the lack of health in pestilence or plague”

Greenish-gray = in Revelation “the color of a corpse and thus represents death”

Standard components of visionary scenes:

Beasts = nations

Heads and horns of beasts = rulers ( kings, emperors)

     And finally, Efird notes that “all of these ‘standard’ symbolic images are combined in every individual apocalyptic work to depict in a somewhat bizarre way certain ideas that would be meaningful and beneficial to the people for whom the work was originally intended.”

The image is linked to more information about the title.

What Is Truth - Revelation (Light)

“And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light” Revelation 22:5

This stanza from the song refers to the above verse from Revelation:

E'en so Lord Jesus, quickly come,
And night shall be no more;
They need no light nor lamp nor sun
For Christ will be their all!

It has been said Paul Manz, the composer of this piece, crafted the perfect blend of text and music. He created it in 1953 during his three-year-old son's serious illness.  I'd like to offer a link to a beautiful blog commentary by "Pastor Peters" who writes:

It is one of those wonderful intersections of music and words where neither is bigger than the other but both form a piece of what is larger than either -- the message understood in the mind with words but felt in the soul with the notes that speak the same message.

You can read it here (well worth it)

What Is Truth - Revelation

     Revelation. The least read, most avoided and misunderstood book of the New Testament. It is also one of the most beautiful. 

     I have read books from opposite points of view. On one side is the “Left Behind” interpretation – the Tim Lahaye series which has garnered so much attention in the last twenty years. But he draws on the interpretations of the 19^th century, the popular idea of rapture and the millennium known as dispensationalism. I have not read the “Left Behind” series, but I did read Lahaye’s book, Mind Siege and found it to be revolting. 

     On the other side is James Efird, a Duke University professor who wrote Revelation for Today. I heard Mr. Efird in multiple sessions teaching and read his book. It discusses the meaning of Apocalyptic symbolism and how this helps us understand passages in Revelation. He points out the origin of dispensationalism and writes that if one wants to accept that system of interpretation then “one is also under the obligation to determine honestly whether the teachings of this system are in accord with the proper and correct meaning of the biblical texts. It is one thing to believe in a system of interpretation, but it is another to impose that system on texts which originally did not mean what advocates of that system want them to mean.” 

     Weigh the evidences, seek the facts, study and keep an open mind. Revelation can be a difficult book to read, but just like any text, understanding the symbolism can open up meaning that had previously been lost. I have heard friends say they wonder how anyone could spend time reading such a frightful judgmental book. Yet I wonder to myself why this book raises such conflict when the “Walking Dead” series along with innumerable other dystopian series are so wildly popular. Ultimately, Revelation tells us that God is in charge and that no matter how bad things get, he has got our backs. I plan to write several posts about the book of Revelation, but for today, here are lines from its last chapter:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End . . . I am the Root and the Offspring of David” . . . And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life . . . “Yes, I am coming soon.”

What Is Truth - Suffering

They say every human being will pass through a deep period of suffering - that if you cannot claim that for yourself, you have simply not lived long enough. There is no doubt some suffer disproportionately more than others, and we have no understanding why. Losing someone through death cannot be undone - it does not pass - the reality does not change. I reflect on this painting my mother created of a mother's grief over the loss of her child. In the pattern of the stone wall it shows a mother's grief over the death of her son, Jesus. All life in our world will pass through death.

Painted by Carolyn Elliott during the Vietnam War

". . . Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows . . . " John 16:33

 

Ignorance Is Not Innocence - J. Elliott Jackson, written from a dream after mom's passing and originally published in Walk Into A Moment

I stood bent in dream

Fingertips to tongue

Pulling from my mouth, fibers like cotton

Discarding them to the blanketed field

Smothered

Silver-white in a coat-of-web

Still as snow

I can see the body dying

Decay that comes

To join the wearing out of life's mechanisms

Death

Is an ugly business

And evil thought and deed

Suffering so apparently growing

Power subverting greater ideas and causes

Turns me under like a wave _ flipped

Sand-stirred, churned in the break

Without surface or boundary

I want the world to stay delicate

To keep its memory safe

Sensing only the gentle and beautiful

We seek solace in discoveries of this age

Yet spirit

Is of permanence

Designed to bear eternity

Abiding in Alpha-Omega

Let it rise with the break of day

Let it rest in pooled depths of stream

Where cool raindrops gently tap

Let it dance in colored sparkles over rock

As sunbeams split in array

Through gray mist and dissipating cloud

Let it mend the holes and tears,

Reweave my loose and raveling threads

To fashion a useful fabric

Must I learn darker things?

May they not remain hidden from me?

      

    

"I have told you this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows . But take heart, because I have overcome the world" John 16:33 

For Justice Rides the Morning

For Justice Rides the Morning

It is okay, the day closes
You cannot be blamed for another's lie
For those who know you, those who matter
The truth remains and will not waver
Rest in this
Let rumors fade within the quiet shadows
Hold firm through the coming blackness
For justice rides the morning
                   
                   J. Elliott Jackson

Vengiletti

     Vengiletti, my pen name here, was born of a dream. Sometimes through the years I have dreamed lines or rhythms of verse, but one evening I dreamed Vengiletti.  I started Vengiletti Press to produce chapbooks. Walk Into A Moment is its first publication. Many of the poems featured in the "Walk Into a Moment Blog" may be moved into "Moment Graces" in the weeks to come.

Coming Together for Something Beautiful

     One of the biggest objections today for traditional church is that many people don’t feel it necessary to gather with others to develop their spiritual knowledge. They prefer to pray, read scripture and explore their faith and beliefs independently. But there is something entirely different about pursuing a goal with others. 

     I can play the guitar for hours developing tone and technique, but when I join with the other members of the band, the game is raised. Variables increase and broaden the potential for what we can create. We have to be aware of each other, listening, waiting, anticipating, adjusting, stretching, growing the art of feeling together the voice or message. Once the spirit of what we are trying to convey gets off the ground, we have to continue working together or what we have created falls off or breaks loose from where we had carried it. 

     The promise when Christians come together for any purpose is that God’s Spirit will be among those gathered. And when you invite him into the band, the results are always beautiful.

What Is Truth - Keep It Simple

     It is fitting on the eve of Memorial Day to write about an individual, Oswald Chambers, who served soldiers in Egypt from 1915-1917 as a chaplain before his death (1917) in Cairo after an emergency appendectomy. 

     In college a roommate tried to get me to read his most famous work, MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST, but I never liked reading what others picked out. When we graduated she gave it and several other books to me, but they stayed in boxes for years and finally were sold at a yard sale. Some years later I was helping folks at my church weed through the library collection in preparation for moving to a new part of the building. A copy of the book was in the discard pile; I grabbed it out and took it home. 

     It stayed on my book case for more years until I was looking for something to read about Christianity. The book filled my need to reflect on the promises of God. The perspectives Oswald Chambers presents are fresh, but the truths are orthodox. Each entry opens with a Bible verse. There is one page for each day of the year. But the lengthy topical index helps locate a message for a specific need so I found myself skipping through the pages reading chunks at a time. 

     I have found more truth and guidance in that little book than any other text about Christianity. I have since bought a copy for a friend and even given my own worn copy filled with sticky-notes of favorite passages away as well. Not too long ago, I did purchase another one and continue to soak up its wisdom. 

     I have been sharing and wrestling in this blog with complicated ideas from a variety of authors, but a wise friend once reminded me to “keep it simple.” This evening I read in Chambers’ book that “simplicity and leisureliness” ought to “characterize the children of God.” (read the whole entry here) 

And so I leave the question - what is truth? - with Jesus’ answer in one of his final prayers to the Father, “Your word is truth.” John 17:17

What is Truth - Science vs Religion

     My mother died twelve years ago.  I was cleaning and discovered a book -  CHAOS AND HARMONY: Perspectives on Scientific Revolutions of the Twentieth Century by Trinh Xuan Thuan.  I never knew she had been reading or contemplating the subject. I would love to have shared late night conversations with her over the book.

     I made notations in the book as I read. A friend of mine read it and made notations as well. So I was able to enjoy conversing about what its ideas contained even though Mom had passed. My friend’s father always told her that at some point philosophy must turn to religion for answers to life’s big questions. There are times science must turn to religion as well because there are aspects of life that science cannot answer or measure empirically.  

     Earlier I mentioned Huston Smith, (Why Religion Matters) the comparative religion scholar. He writes that 
"Science cannot get its hands on:

1. Values
2. Meanings -Existential (what we find meaningful) and global (what is the meaning of life?) 
3. Final causes—the why of things –final causes outside the animate world
4. Invisibles—if there are invisibles that don’t impact matter, science gets no wind of them
5. Quality—the qualitative ingredient in values, meanings, purposes, non-inferable invisibles that gives them their power
6. Our superiors”

He tells us that “The religious sense - recognizes instinctively that the ultimate questions human beings ask (what is the meaning of existence; why is there pain and death; why in the end is life worth living; what is reality and what is its object)—are the defining essence of our humanity."

“If science cannot tell us what (if anything) is outside our universe, what can? Nothing definitively, but it would be foolish not to draw on every resource available.”

     The astrophysicist, Thuan, opens his book, CHAOS and HARMONY, with a chapter titled Truth and Beauty. He states that beauty in science or mathematics is when a theory is “inevitable, simple and congruent with the whole.”  In his closing pages he writes that science will never be able to decide between chance and a primary cause because as he shows in a discussion of quantum theory and the unsuccessful pursuits to formalize mathematical theory there are limits to reason.

    

“We will have to rely on other modes of knowledge, such as mystical or religious intuition, informed or enlightened by the discoveries of modern science.”

What Is Truth - What Have They Done with Jesus?

What Have They Done with Jesus?: Beyond Strange Theories and Bad History – Why We Can Trust the Bible by Ben Witherington

     There is a lot of information out there about Jesus from Strobel's Case for the Real Jesus to the Jesus Seminar - two opposite poles of opinion and information. Whether one believes Jesus is God's son or that he was simply a great teacher, both sides agree he actually walked this earth.

     Witherington takes a different approach from most writers. As a bible scholar, he naturally goes to the bible for information. But in this book he tells us about Jesus by taking a look at the folks around him - his mother, brothers, the women in his life, Peter, Paul, etc.

     Witherington grew up in High Point, North Carolina. He has taught and studied not only in the United States, but in the United Kingdom as well. You can read more about him here. And as usual, the book cover is linked to more information about the book.

What Is Truth - Trying

Life is a journey. No one has it all figured out. This song was written by the lead singer of Lifehouse, Jason Wade, when he was 15 years old - "Trying"

What Is Truth - "Getting Out"

Listen to Timothy Keller  speaking on "Getting Out" from Exodus 14 - click on the mp3 audio Link here
From The Gospel Coalition 2011 National Conference

     Keller compares the Israelites' "crossing over" with a Christians' "crossing over"

Salvation / Redemption / Release - is about getting out
What are we getting out of? - bondage
How do we get out of it? - crossing over from death to life
Why is it possible to get out? -order out of chaos
through the man in the middle identified with the people and with the power of God - Moses/Christ

     In Exodus as well as now, salvation is not by how developed one's faith is . . . And as Keller points out, some Israelites dashing through the dry path with a wall of ocean on both sides were likely commenting - "hey, would you look at that, God sure is fighting for us" - while others were crying, "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, we're all gonna die." Yet, all were saved.

     Timothy Keller may be my favorite contemporary Christian author. The first book I read of his was THE REASON FOR GOD. The cover picture is linked to more information about the book.

 Here are the first ten chapter titles:
*There Can't Be Just One True Religion
*How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?
*Christianity Is a Straightjacket
*The Church Is Responsible for So Much Injustice
*How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
*Science Has Disproved Christianity
*You Can't Take the Bible Literally
*The Clues of God
*The Knowledge of God
*The Problem of Sin